I'm Kind of a Big Deal: And Other Delusions of Adequacy

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Overview

WARNING TO READERS:

The Author of This Book is Kind of Crazy, Kind of Delusional, and All Kinds of Hilarious

Whether she’s driving a limo for former Family Ties star Justine Bateman, dancing in the dark for a rarely seen Bob Dylan music video, or stalking a bachelor reject from TV’s Love Connection, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is kind of a big deal—at least in her own mind. Smart, screwy, and scathingly funny, her tell-all essays capture every ...

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I'm Kind of a Big Deal: And Other Delusions of Adequacy

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More About This Book

Overview

WARNING TO READERS:

The Author of This Book is Kind of Crazy, Kind of Delusional, and All Kinds of Hilarious

Whether she’s driving a limo for former Family Ties star Justine Bateman, dancing in the dark for a rarely seen Bob Dylan music video, or stalking a bachelor reject from TV’s Love Connection, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is kind of a big deal—at least in her own mind. Smart, screwy, and scathingly funny, her tell-all essays capture every cringe-worthy moment of her kind-of famous life. From bombing as a stand-up comic for born-again Christians, to winging it as a singing waitress in an Italian restaurant, to posting open letters to Angelina Jolie and David Hasselhoff, this unstoppable L.A. transplant refuses to give up on her dreams—no matter how ill-advised—and shows us a side of Hollywood better kept hidden. When it comes to funny women—unplugged and unleashed—they don’t get any wilder than Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. . . .

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
“Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is twisted and wrong and absolutely hysterical. But on top of impeccably timed punch-lines and sly social commentary, I’m Kind of a Big Deal contains the kind of heart and self-awareness that makes for a truly satisfying read. Unless you hate fun, buy this book.”

—New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster

"Bursting with hysterical, wildly perceptive musings about life, family, and some of the crazy choices we make along the way. The perfect blend of sassy and bittersweet."

—Amy Hatvany, author of Best Kept Secret

Kirkus Reviews

A tell-too-much, say-too-little collection of autobiographical essays about one woman's B-grade brushes with stardom.

The latest from Hollywood writer and producer Wilder-Taylor falls well short of satisfying.The first two-thirds of the book deal with her many mishaps along the road to something like fame. After graduating from high school, she went to New York City with vague ambitions of becoming an actress. But her stage career began and ended in an Italian restaurant where, as a singing waitress, she demonstrated her total lack of vocal skills. In Los Angeles, she found her way as a dancing extra in a Bob Dylan-Dave Stewart music video that quickly "fell off into oblivion." Later, Wilder-Taylor auditioned for a dating show calledStuds, only to find herself paired with a man who "looked like a bisexual pirate." Ever in search of celebrity—or at least, of a way to be near it—the author briefly drove limos for the likes of such minor screen luminaries as Lolita Davidovich and Justine Bateman. The narrative, which moves rather disconnectedly between episodes, displays even more disjointedness in the final third of the book. Wilder-Taylor, now an established figure in the entertainment industry, struggled to cope not only with the demands of her career, but also motherhood, all while trying to deal with an drinking problem that had been present since her teens. In between snarky "letters" she writes to Angelina Jolie about the actress' too-perfect maternal image and to David Hasselhoff about their common "crazy love of booze," the author offers maddeningly brief glimpses of real emotional poignancy in her depiction of her alcohol and codeine-dependent father and their rocky relationship. Wilder-Taylor's often self-deprecating candor is the book's greatest strength, but also its greatest weakness. While she freely provides gossipy tidbits about her life and adventures, her capacity to move beyond the superficially funny and into the meaningfully humorous is lacking.

Kind of a waste of time.

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781439176573
  • Publisher: Gallery Books
  • Publication date: 6/7/2011
  • Edition description: Simon & Schuster
  • Pages: 272
  • Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime Is the New Happy Hour. She has written and produced more than thirty television sketch, clip, and variety shows, and been featured on Today, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Larry King Live, The Dr. Oz Show, and the award-winning PBS show Real Savvy Moms. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three young daughters. Visit her website at stefaniewildertaylor.com.

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Table of Contents

The Sweaty Calzone 1

I Blame Bob Dylan 19

The Flying Handelmans 35

Two and Two 49

Studs 63

Driving Miss Bateman 79

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb 97

California Fruit 113

The Big Date 129

If You Like It Then You Should've Put a Ring on It 145

Graceland 157

Hometown Buffet 167

Home Run 183

Hi, Angie 203

Thank You, That's My Time 217

Drink, Drank, Drunk 229

Dear Dave 243

Shooting Up 249

Acknowledgments 259

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Sort by: Showing all of 4 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 18, 2011

    BookHounds

    Stephanie Wilder Taylor writes about her Hollywood days a bit in her latest memoir. Each chapter is a new opens to something that would be perfect for a television skit on a comedy variety show. This makes perfect sense since she used to write for television. She recounts her first big break when she appears in a Bob Dylan video where she has visions of being the featured dancer like Courtney Cox was in a Bruce Springsteen video. Her plan doesn't even come close since she ends up hanging around dancing for 12 hours and when she leaves, she finds her car is gone! She does meet Bob Dylan though and he is at least nice enough to explain that she parked in a tow zone.

    Most of the book revolves around her drinking issues, the how and why, combined with anecdotes that are funny and a bit sad at the same time. She really does have a way with words and you will find yourself pulled in by her writing style immediately. Each episode brings you immediately into her world and it doesn't matter that you have never heard of her before. It is like a friend of a friend who has that bigger than life personality and you want to hear everything they have to say. The parts I really enjoyed were her confessions about trying to be something she is not and realizing that it is ok to just be her.

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  • Posted May 21, 2011

    Kritters Ramblings

    A snarky collection of stories to create a great memoirish read. Some of the stories were down right hilarious - I may have laughed out loud, but there were a few that fell below the line. A great book to read by the beach or in spurts over the summer.

    My absolute favorite was the story of her getting a tattoo or at least trying. Her thoughts and reactions would be exactly like mine. I couldn't get a tattoo if you paid me for two reasons: I couldn't make a decision on what I would want or where I would want it, so it's a no go for me.

    If you are a reader of Jen Lancaster - this would be a great one to add to your collection. For women who love the snarky humor, I would add this to your summer reading list. A quick and short review, but definitely a book to pick up.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 12, 2011

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 13, 2011

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